Why would BYU want to join the Big East? By most reports they had a chance to do that a couple of years ago, and turned them down.

Or maybe the Big East's offer will be better this time around.

"Giving to the poor is an essential part of Christian morality. I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I’m afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare... If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things that we’d like to do but cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them." --C.S. Lewis :-)

Boise State, San Diego State and BYU have had conversations with Mountain West membership about the possibility of returning to the league, sources told ESPN.

These talks originated after last week's decision in Denver by the BCS commissioners to award an automatic access bowl berth to the highest rated champion to the "Group of Five" conferences. That decision, in essence, put the Mountain West on equal footing as far as playoff access with the Big East starting in 2014.

Sources said Monday those talks are expected to bring on greater significance after Maryland announced it was leaving the ACC for the Big Ten. ESPN reported Rutgers will announce it's also leaving for the Big Ten on Tuesday so the Big East will lose Rutgers and then potentially either UConn or Louisville to the ACC.

With the Big East losing two more schools and having the same playoff access as the Mountain West, Boise State and San Diego State are considering their options. One of the main reasons both schools opted to join the Big East was for more television revenue with the Big East as opposed to the Mountain West.

However, it's unknown how much more the Big East's future media rights will be worth compared to the Mountain West's after losing Rutgers to the Big Ten and another member to the ACC. It's also unknown how much the Mountain West's media rights deal would increase if Boise State, San Diego State or BYU returned to the MWC.

Even though Boise State and San Diego State don't join the Big East until July 1, 2013, the schools would have to pay an exit fee to get out of their contract to join the league. Both schools signed contracts on Dec. 6, 2011 with a $5 million buyout, but that amount was increased to $10 million in January when Navy announced it was joining the league in 2015.

BYU, which left the Mountain West after the 2010 season to become an independent, would have to get out of an eight-year contact with ESPN to rejoin the Mountain West or Big East.

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz declined comment when asked if ESPN would allow BYU out of its contract.

BYU's deal with ESPN is worth nearly $4 million a year through 2018 with an option for 2019, sources said.

BYU wouldn't be able to earn that much in the Mountain West, but the Cougars could be interested in returning to a conference because it would give greater access to a major bowl berth.

As an independent, BYU would have to finish in the top 10-12 teams in the nation to earn an access bowl berth. However, if the Cougars were in the MWC or Big East, they could get an access berth by being the highest rated champion of the "Group of Five."

The latest conference realignment moves continue to decimate the Big East, which has only one football member remaining from 2003 -- a Temple team that initially was dismissed from the league.

In the past year, the Big East has had six schools -- West Virginia, TCU, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Rutgers -- leave or announce they were leaving the league, with a seventh school expected to go to the ACC to replace Maryland.

Meanwhile, the Mountain West's membership next season will consist of 10 football programs: Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming.

Ironically, when the MWC announced last summer it was adding San Jose State and Utah State to replace Boise State and San Diego State, MWC commissioner Craig Thompson said then the league purposely didn't expand past 10 in case the Broncos and Aztecs had a change of heart.

"Our board has determined that we're staying at 10 football-playing institutions," Thompson said in July. "We're going to line up with that formation, but at the same time we'll keep our eyes on the landscape and if there's a need to change, we'll do that."

You take offense when you shouldn't. I think BYU getting a payday from Michigan is wonderful for them and I've said as much. As far as Utah getting "zero" from Michigan, obviously Utah was more interested in a home-and-home with Michigan as opposed to making their third trip in recent history up to Ann Arbor stictly for cash.

Also, not quite sure why you're mocking the fact that Utah doesn't have a deal with ESPN. BYU has a great deal with them, and Utah is in a great spot with the Pac12 TV deal. Your late night ESPN games have seemed to do really well in the ratings. What's not to like?

I'd also like to give BYU a shout out for discussing a possible return to the Mountain with people from the MWC. I think it would be great to see BYU get back into the conference. Cougar fans should be excited about that possibility. If Boise goes back as well, it gives them a great regional conference rival. It also provides BYU with a more realistic shot at playing in future BCS bowls not to mention how familiar they already are with the conference.

You take offense when you shouldn't. I think BYU getting a payday from Michigan is wonderful for them and I've said as much. As far as Utah getting "zero" from Michigan, obviously Utah was more interested in a home-and-home with Michigan as opposed to making their third trip in recent history up to Ann Arbor stictly for cash.

Also, not quite sure why you're mocking the fact that Utah doesn't have a deal with ESPN. BYU has a great deal with them, and Utah is in a great spot with the Pac12 TV deal. Your late night ESPN games have seemed to do really well in the ratings. What's not to like?

I'd also like to give BYU a shout out for discussing a possible return to the Mountain with people from the MWC. I think it would be great to see BYU get back into the conference. Cougar fans should be excited about that possibility. If Boise goes back as well, it gives them a great regional conference rival. It also provides BYU with a more realistic shot at playing in future BCS bowls not to mention how familiar they already are with the conference.

To tell you the honest to goodness truth, I don't know. Aside from it being a home-and-home, I'm not privy to the finer points of the contract. Perhaps money is changing hands to help with travel costs etc. However, I don't see "Zero" as anything negative. Michigan agreed to come play a game in SLC and I think that's great. If BYU had the pull to get Michigan to Provo in a home-and-home, they'd be silly not to strike the same deal. Hopefully that's something that can materialize for BYU in the future. Their home schedule looks great in 2013, BYU fans will be rewarded for sitting through some pretty bad home games the past couple of seasons. Good for them.

To tell you the honest to goodness truth, I don't know. Aside from it being a home-and-home, I'm not privy to the finer points of the contract. Perhaps money is changing hands to help with travel costs etc. However, I don't see "Zero" as anything negative. Michigan agreed to come play a game in SLC and I think that's great. If BYU had the pull to get Michigan to Provo in a home-and-home, they'd be silly not to strike the same deal. Hopefully that's something that can materialize for BYU in the future. Their home schedule looks great in 2013, BYU fans will be rewarded for sitting through some pretty bad home games the past couple of seasons. Good for them.

Does it really matter about the money, and Conan if you're going to go the money route in arguments with the Utes you are going to lose. They have a pretty lucrative deal being part of the Pac 12 that will pay off for them. Despite the fake crap I sling around and the trash talk, I'm happy for the Utes and think they are in a pretty good spot. It's not a bad thing to be happy for someone else when something good happens to them even if they are/were your rival.

As to the MWC, I'm not too excited about it, but I'm also not too excited about independence. IMO the Big 12 should be the main goal. After that I actually think I would rather stay independent than to jump back into the MWC... and the more I think of it I would rather get run over by a bus than go back to the MWC.

As to the MWC, I'm not too excited about it, but I'm also not too excited about independence. IMO the Big 12 should be the main goal. After that I actually think I would rather stay independent than to jump back into the MWC... and the more I think of it I would rather get run over by a bus than go back to the MWC.

Exactly. How do you sell that to your fans that you didn't join the Big "12" and promoted independence but now you're the prodigal son returning home to the MWC? The appeal of a conference is great, but not if it's a half-ass conference like the MWC. For the sake of good football, I had hoped that BYU would join the Big "12" because it's really hard to work up enough energy to smack talk when they're playing Idaho or New Mexico State in November. The same would apply with a Colorado State or Wyoming game.

The 4 mill number is a baseline number for a min of games having to be picked up. So far, ESPN has gobbled up pretty much every "bonus" game they've been able to. So that is bigger in reality and BYU has other revenue streams. The money thing is not interesting to me at all. All it means for fans is that you might be able to piss into an actual urinal instead of trough in your stadium while watching your team win 4 games a year. BYU is not lacking money or sponsers and never will be.